Folding bed.



OTIS PEARCE, 0F BENTON, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application led January 22, 1917. Serial No. 143,564.

boards of said bed may be prevented fromV folding inwardly toward each other during the initial movements employed in closing the bed and preceding the final movements 4. necessary to fully open the bed.

A Vfurther object of my invention is the provision of means whereby the bed is resiliently held in closed position by means of its own springs and parts coacting therewith.v

A further object of my invention is the provision of a bed of this'character which shall be collapsible into a compact form and a ynarrow space.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a bed of this character which shall have side frames, wherein said side frames shall serve rigidly to brace said bed when it is in open position, and one wherein said side frames shall be collapsible within the bed when it is, as above stated,lcom pactly folded into a narrow space.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists substantially in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention, and Vmore particularly set forth in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings: V Y

Figure 1 is a vertical section through my improved bed taken' substantially lon line 11 of-.Fig 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substan tially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Y

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my invention showing the same in folded position. My improvement comprises a bed having a head board 10 and a foot board 1()a connected by a pair of discontinuous side bars, generally indicated-at A, each comprising alined pieces ll-lla. rI`he pieces 11--11a are pivotally connected substantially in the plane of their lower surfaces, preferably by means of a hinge 12. The side bars A 4thus constituted are pivoted to the respective head and foot boards by hinges 13 and 19%L substantially in the common plane of their upper surfaces. By means of these pivotal connections the side bars and head and foot boards Vare foldable into the compact position shown in Fig. 3, in which position they occupy a small space. Obviously were not some means provided to prevent it, the action of folding the bed, which is begun by elevating the hinges 12, would normally result in an inward collapsing of the upper portions of the head and foot boards. Means to prevent such collapsing when the hinges 12 are first elevated and also during the opening movements when the pieces 11 and 11a are approaching alinement are found in a collapsible bed spring generally indicated at B, comprising alined nets 14 and 14a, each pivotally connected to a central transverse rod 15, the spring B being pivotally connected to the respective head and foot boards through the medium of helical springs 16,'which serve to tense the spring B between the head and foot boards when the bed is in open position-the pivotal connection between the spring B and the head and foot boards is in a plane parallel to the common plane of the hinges 13 and 13a and below the same, although preferably slightly above the plane of the hinges 12. It will be seen from this description that when hinges 12 are first elevated the tension of the spring B between the head and foot boards holds the lower portions of those boards'from separating, the fulcrum for this holding movement being at the hinge 13 or 13a.

To provide means for holding the lower portions of the head land foot boards fromV outward movement when'the bed is folded, I provide a pair of keepers 17 and 17a, which also operate to elevate the central portion of the spring B when the bed is folded. These keepers traverse the bed be# low the spring B and are pivoted respectively to the two pieces 11 and to the two pieces 11a at points adjacent the meeting ends of those pieces. When the bed is folded the folding of the nets 14 and 14E over the horizontal portions of the Ykeepers 17 and 17a results in drawing the keepers together,

as seen in Fig. 3, and in causing a tension of springs 16 in the folded position of the bed-see Fig. S-the tensing resulting from the fact that pieces ll'and 11a are pivoted to the head and 'foot boards at points well above the pivotal connections between those boards and the spring B.

To accommodate my bed for the use o f small children I preferably cut a longitudinal angular section out of the side boards A, at 18, and hinge to the side boards at each side of the bed a discontinuous side frame, generally indicated at C, each comprising alined pieces i9 and i9 which are hinged, as at Q0, to cause their lower ends to stand in the cut-away portions i8 while permitting the frames to fold inwardly of the bed into the space between the upper and lower surfaces of the side bars A. lVhen the bed is in open position, with the side frames standing vertical, the frames are fastened together at the upper edges of their meeting ends by latches 2l, thus causing them to constitute a rigid brace between the head and foot boards at points well above the common plane of the hinges 13--133 To further rigidify the bed structure I provide end latches 22, which connect the ends of the upper edges of the side frames to thc head and foot, boards, thus causing the frames to act as tie-rods as well as braces between the head. and foot boards. The inward folding feature of the side frames C is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Inasmuch as these frames are discontinuous they conform to the fold of the side bars A and therefore lie entirely within the folded bed.

Then the bed is completely folded, as in Fig. 3, the tension of the springs 16 would cause the upper ends of the head. and foot boards to separate. To prevent such separation I provide a latch bar Q3 hinged, as at 2l, to one of the boards and engaging a catch 25 on the other board.

In folding the bed from the position illustrated in Figs. l and 2, the latches '2l and '22 are loosened and the side frames folded into the dotted line position of Fig. 2, following which the side bars are elevated by upward. pressure on hinges l2. The tension of bed spring B prevents collapsing of the upper portions of the head and foot boards, causing those boards to approach each other in parallel planes. As the inner ends of the pieces l1 and 1ln are elevated the keepers 17-17a engage and elevate the inner ends of the nets ll-lifa and when the bed is in fully closed position the tension of these i nets between the keepers and the head and foot boards holds the lower ends of the boards in collapsed position. Finally, the latch 28 is hooked over the catch 25 completing the folding process. The unfolding of the bed is, of course, the reverse of the process just described.

Ihile I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it is possible for one skilled in the art to construct modifications thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention. l wish, therefore, not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, except in so far as the same is limited in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends in a common plane to said boards, and collapsible springs pivoted to said boards below said common plane.

2. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends in a common plane to said boards, Vand collapsible springs pivoted to said boards below said common plane and normally tensed between the boards.

8. In a folding bed the combination with Vhead and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends and substantially in the common plane. of their upper surfaces to said boards, and collapsible springs pivoted at opposite ends to said boards below said common plane and normally tensed between the boards.

4c. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards; of a pair of discontinuous side bars each comprising two alined pieces having their meeting ends pivoted together substantially in the plane of their lower surfaces; said bars being pivoted at their ends and substantially in the common plane of their upper surfaces to said boards; and collapsible springs pivoted to said boards below said common plane and normally tensed between the boards. Y

5. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends. and substantially in the common plane of their upper Y surface to said boards, collapsible, normally tensed springs pivoted to said boards below said common plane, and collapsible side frames normally constituting rigid braces between said boards at points above said common plane.

6. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends and substantially in the common plane of their upper surfaces to said boards, collapsible, normally tensed springs pivoted to said boards below said common plane, and discontinuous side frames normallyV constituting rigid braces between said boards at points above said common plane, said frames being carried by the bars and collapsible into the space between the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

7. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends to said boards, and discontinuous side frames normally fitting snugly between said boards to constitute rigid side braces between the same, said frames being pivo'ted to the bars and collapsible into the space between the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

Sfln a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of collapsible side bars pivoted at their ends to said boards, discontinuous side frames normally fitting snugly between said boards to constitute rigid side braces between the same, and detachable fastening means normally securing the upper edges of the frame pieces of each side to each other and to the respective boards, said frames being hinged to the respective bars and collapsible into the space between the upper and lower surfaces of said bars.

9. In a folding bed the combination with head and foot boards, of a pair of discontinuous side bars eachv comprising two alined pieces having their meeting ends pivoted to- `gether substantially in the plane of their lower surfaces, said bars being pivoted at their ends and substantially in the common plane of their upper surfaces to said boards, collapsible springs pivotally connected to the boards below said common plane, a pair of transverse keepers each secured to opposite pieces of said bars adjacent their said meeting ends and depending below said springs a distance suflicient to tense the springs between the keepers and the head and foot boards when the bed is folded, and a latch joining said boards at points above said common plane when the bed is folded.

10. In a folding bed thecombination with head and foot boards, of a pair of discontinuous side bars each comprising two alined pieces having their meeting ends pivoted t0- gether substantially in the plane of their lower surfaces, said bars being pivoted at their ends and substantially in the common plane of their upper surfaces to said boards, collapsible springs pivotally connected to the boards below said common plane, a pair of transverse keepers each secured lto opposite pieces of said bars adjacent their said meeting ends and depending below said springs a distance suflicient to tense the springs between the keepers and the head and foot boards when the bed is folded, and a latch joining said boards at points above said common plane when the bed is folded, said springs being tensed when the bed is is open position.

OTIS PEARCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

